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Big Data solution for HIV/AIDS tested in British Columbia

March 5, 2014

VANCOUVER – The British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV /AIDS at St. Paul’s Hospital is pioneering new technology from PHEMI Health Systems and SAP AG to accelerate the treatment and improve the outcome for patients diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The Centre intends to roll out powerful Big Data technology in a pilot project to deliver personalized medicine based on the genetic signature of the virus that infects each patient. Read More

Infoway explores implications of mHealth in new White Paper

March 5, 2014

TORONTO – With sales of mobile devices now outstripping sales of desktop computers, some observers say we’re now in the post-PC era. Healthcare providers are part of the trend, with physicians, nurses and others opting for smartphones, tablets and scores of apps. In a new White Paper called ‘Mobile Computing in Clinical Settings,’ Canada Health Infoway recently analyzed the economic effect of such devices on healthcare delivery and pointed out several challenges. Read More

New Brunswick wants to re-work EMR deal for doctors

March 5, 2014

FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s health minister says he’s willing to renegotiate a contract with the New Brunswick Medical Society in an effort to get more doctors connected to an electronic medical records system, but the society says the government has repeatedly stymied efforts to do that. Read More

Forum on social media in health explodes on Twitter

March 5, 2014

VANCOUVER – A public forum on how social media could be used to connect the general public with health professionals and health policy makers, held in Vancouver in February, generated more than 1.5 million impressions on Twitter and trended strongly in Canada that night. Read More

Richard Alvarez to leave post as Infoway chief

March 5, 2014

Richard Alvarez

TORONTO – After 10 years at the helm, Richard Alvarez (pictured) announced that he will step down from his role as President and CEO on August 1, 2014. Chair of the Infoway board of directors, Graham Scott, said: “Richard has been an extraordinary CEO for Infoway over the last decade. His leadership has shaped its strong culture, built collaborative relationships with stakeholders across the country, and achieved important results for Canadians.” Read More

Handwashing monitoring solution comes to Canada

March 5, 2014

Heather McLarney

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Deb Group announced that it will introduce its DebMed GMS (Group Monitoring System) into Canada, starting in May. The system can monitor the use of soap and sanitizer in a ward or work environment, including at the point-of-care, and report on compliance rates in real-time. Read More

Six GTA hospitals collaborate, showcase advances

February 19, 2014

TORONTO – After banding together late last year to share and promote their in-house innovations, six Toronto-area hospitals demonstrated the initiatives in January at an exposition, called InnovationEX, which attracted the provincial health minister, Deb Matthews (pictured, on right), as well as a crowd of participants. Read More

CHU Sainte-Justine, HEC Montreal to hold Hackathon

February 19, 2014

Luc Sirois

MONTREAL – Hacking Health will hold an event on February 21-23 at CHU Sainte-Justine, in which doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and health system administrators, will collaborate with computer scientists, technologists, programmers and designers in the creation of digital solutions to improve the health of mothers and their children in Quebec and the rest of the world. Read More

CAR slams recent report, supports use of mammograms

February 19, 2014

OTTAWA – Women should continue to seek breast cancer screening using mammography, a form of x-ray of the breast, says Dr. Jacques Lévesque (pictured), president of the Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR), the national association representing radiologists in Canada. Read More